Automatic water shutoff device



March 20, 1951 G. K. MARTIN ET AL 2,545,928

AUTOMATIC WATER SHUTOFF DEVICE Filed July 16, 1948 Fig. 20

ll IO 24 2 66 V. V 70W72 If n l2 /4 F 1g 2.

1 -62 i :52 g 64 g 4-30 F 72 I George K. Mart/n Mary M. Mart/hINVENTORS.

BY WW 3% Patented Mar. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Marcos,Tex.,

assignors of one-fourth to Thomas A. Buckner, Jr., San Marcos, Tex.

Application July 16, 1948, Serial No. 38,968

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an automatic water shut-off device to beemployed especially in connection with a water sprinkler unit and thelike.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device which willautomatically shut off the water being delivered to any desired placeafter a desired amount of water has been employed thus obviating thenecessity of manually disconnecting the supply of water from the waterdelivery conduit.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an automatic watershut-off device for attachment to a water supply which includes aconventional alarm clock engageably connected to a valve means forshutting off the water supply after a predetermined time has elapsed.The length of time water is to be delivered to any desired place can beset in the usual manner by means of the conventional alarm clock, andafter this time has elapsed, the Water supply will be automatically shutoff. The shut-off device can, of course, be reset any number of timesfor any desired length of time required to deliver a desired amount ofwater.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features of theinvention which will later become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, are attained by the device, a preferred embodiment of whichhas been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of the instantinvention in association with a conventional alarm clock, some partsbeing shown in elevation and others being broken away;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the device shown in Figure 1,some parts being shown in elevation and other parts being broken away;and

Figure 3 is another transverse sectional view taken substantially in aplane of section line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings. In the several views inthe accompanying drawings and in the following specification referencecharacters indicate corresponding elements throughout.

Generally indicated at I is a conventional alarm clock having a U-shapedhousing 12 which carries a face plate 14, which face plate is alsoU-shaped as seen in Figure 2 and contains recesses l6 which engage aball member l8 for detachably retaining the face plate on the housing.The face plate I4 is additionally provided with 2 the conventional dial20. The hand shaft 22 is further provided with a cam 24 well known inthe clock art.

The side members 26 and 28 are additionally provided with transverselyextending slots for frictionally retaining a water retaining conduit 36which extends transversely of the bottom of the clock and which isfurther provided, if preferred, with a male connection 32 and a femaleconnection 34, either connection to be attached to a hose leading to asource of water (not shown).

Pivoted to a frame member 36 of the clock is a bell crank 38, the lowerleg 40 of which is provided with a hook element 42. The upper leg 44 ofthe bell crank is positioned adjacent the cam 24 and is normallyretained against this cam by means of a spring 46 which is terminallysecured to the frame member '36 and the lower leg 46 intermediate theends thereof. Pivoted to the housing of the clock as at 48 and extendingthrough a suitable slot 5!] in the side wall 28 is a lever bar 52, oneend of which is provided with an upstanding hooked lug 54 for engageablyreceiving the hook member 42. Adjacent the lug 54, the lever bar 52 isadditionally provided with a longitudinally extending slot 56.Communicating with the water retaining conduit 30 is a branch conduit 58which is screw threaded at its upper end to retain thereon an internallythreaded apertured nut 60.

Slidably connected to the lever bar 52 as at 62 is a valve stem 64 whichextends through the branch conduit 58 and carries at its bottom end avalve 66. A suitable packing gland 68 is provided about the valve stemto prevent leakage of water thereby.

The water retaining conduit 30 is additionally provided with internallydisposed depending lugs H! and 12 forming in combination a valve seatimmediately disposed beneath the valve 66. Interposed between the nutEl! and the valve 66 about the valve stem 64 is a spring 14 whichnormally urges the valve 66 toward the valve seat ill-l2 to shut off thewater flowing through the conduit 30.

In practical operation, the alarm clock is set so that water flowingthrough the conduit 30 will be supplied to a sprinkler for apredetermined length of time. After the time has elapsed, the cam 24revolving on the hand shaft 22 will depress the upper leg 44 of the bellcrank pivoting the entire bell crank upwardly. When this occurs, thehook member 42 releases the hooked lug 54, and the spring 14 urges thevalve 66 towards preferred embodiment of the invention the sameissusceptible to certain changesiully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention 'as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention Whatis' claimed as new is:

1. In combination with an alarm clock having a cam on the hand shaft; anautomatic water shut-off device comprising, a bell crank pivoted at itscorner to the clock housing, resilient means normallyurging oneleg ofsaidbell:crank against' the:v cam; a water retaining conduit extendingthrough the clock housing, valve means insaid conduit; and'lever-actuated 'means interconnecting theotherleg of said bell crank andsaid valve means forishutting off the water in said conduit in responseto a predetermined time-set,- the other leg of said bellcrank includinga terminal hook' member and said lever-actuated means includes a barpivoted to the housing intermediate its ends, said. bar having anupstanding hooked lug for engaging said hook member.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said valve means includes a branchconduit having an apertured cover, a valve stem slidably secured at itsupper end to said bar and extending through said branchxconduit, avalvezcarried at, the lower end of said'valve stem, a va'lve seat in"said conduit immediately below said valve, and a spring about said valvestem interposed between said cover and said valve for normally urgingsaid valve towards said valve seat.

3. Theccombinati'onl of claim 2 wherein said resilient meansincludes aspring terminally securedto aframe-member of said clock and the otherlegof saidbell crank.

GEORGE K. MARTIN. MARY M. MARTIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following" references areof record in' thefile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS;

